Generally, the drive mechanism of the fishing reel constructed according to the foregoing, comprises a tubular handle shaft having a handle bar and being rotatably supported between a first side plate and an outer plate provided outwardly thereof. A main gear having a short tubular portion and supported rotatably to the handle shaft is provided along with friction plates for a drag mechanism incorporated in the tubular portion of the main gear. An adjusting thumb nut for the drag mechanism is screwed with the end portion of the handle shaft projecting from the outer plate, and a collar is interposed between the thumb nut and the outermost friction plate and extends through the outer plate.
The tubular portion of the main gear is restricted in its axial length because it is housed in a space between the first side plate and the outer plate, whereby the number of friction plates in use is limited to create a problem of restricting an adjusting range of the thumb nut. A further problem is created in that replacement of each friction plate takes time due to the fact that the friction plates cannot be replaced without removing the outer plate from the first side plate.
The former problem is solved by expanding the space between the first side plate and the outer plate to accommodate an increased number of friction plates, but a larger space makes the reel larger in size, resulting in an increase in weight and a high manufacturing cost. Therefore, that solution is not adequate.